YouTube star MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has released a new video documenting his largest humanitarian project to date. He built a nearly $10 million self-sustaining village in Ghana to help families affected by child labour in the cocoa industry.
The project is called Abna Dakwa Village. It is aimed at provide housing, education, healthcare and clean water to the families and help give children an alternative to working on illegal cacao farms. The video also serves as a call for greater accountability from global chocolate companies over cocoa sourcing practices.
MrBeast said the settlement took about one year of planning followed by eight months of construction before opening its doors.
The project aligns with his Feastables chocolate brand, which has repeatedly promoted ethically sourced cocoa and criticised child labour within parts of the global cocoa supply chain.
What is MrBeast’s new Ghana village project?
In the video, MrBeast walks viewers through the construction of Abna Dakwa Village, built on previously undeveloped land.
{{/usCountry}}In the video, MrBeast walks viewers through the construction of Abna Dakwa Village, built on previously undeveloped land.
{{/usCountry}}The village includes 10 free homes for teachers, a medical clinic, a community marketplace and a school capable of educating more than 300 students.
To encourage school attendance, every student will receive free daily meals for the next five years, funded with support from The Rockefeller Foundation.
The development also featured an off-grid solar power system installed with support from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet. This will help make the community less dependent on traditional electricity infrastructure.
The village includes two large water towers supplying clean drinking water, along with agricultural facilities and fish tanks designed to help the community become self-sustaining.
According to MrBeast, the project’s goal extends beyond constructing buildings.
He said the initiative seeks to reduce the economic pressures that often push children into hazardous cocoa farm work instead of classrooms.
MrBeast challenges chocolate industry over child labor
The video also highlights the wider issue of child labor in cocoa production, particularly in West Africa. Organizations like International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF have also documented the continued use of children in hazardous agricultural work.
MrBeast directly challenged major chocolate manufacturers during the video.
“Big chocolate will not care about rampant child labor until you guys watching this video do something about it,” he said.
“Show big chocolate that you care, that you do not want little children exploited.”
The village was developed through partnerships with the 1 Billion Followers Summit, the Varkey Foundation and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives as part of the 1 Billion Acts of Kindness campaign.
10 other content creators from different countries also travelled to Ghana to help construct the village alongside MrBeast.